The
keys to producing any good film rendition of a novel are compressing
the story enough to fit it into a two-hour time frame, while at the
same time maintaining the story’s integrity-its character, ideas, and
feeling. Lean successfully distils a long and complex novel, written
in the first person, into a compelling visual narrative covering no
more than two hours. In this film, perhaps more than in any other, he
makes us care about the characters, and casts the kind of cinematic
spell very few directors are capable of, bringing into play a powerful
visual narrative that hints at big themes and elemental forces. Great
Expectations offers a near perfect balance of human sentiment and visual
grandeur.

David
Lean's crisp rendering of Dicken's classic is one of the great translations
of literature to film. Guy Green's award-winning, film noir cinematography
offsets the rich, exuberant tale of Pip, played by John Mills. True
to the vibrant spirit of Dickens, "Great Expectations" is
the rare film that does justice to its source.